Rain on the rock by Jodi Toering. Illus. by Valerie Brumby

Rain on the Rock is a stunning celebration of Uluru and Kata Tjuta, as it details the effect upon the landscape brought by a little water. Beautifully illustrated by Valerie Brumby, drops of water cover pages from the title page, endpapers and many pages between, reminding the reader over and over about this phenomenon.

The rock stands out from its position on the plain, baking in the harsh desert sun. Animals live around its base, a few flowers and plants survive the harsh climate but when it rains, something amazing happens. The first few double pages show a parched environment, Uluru displaying its many colours, but clouds are forming. Behind the rock stunningly coloured with hues as the sun rises and sets, thunder can be heard. Lightning can be seen, small drops of rain fall, then it  becomes louder and louder as the spots become steadier, building up the effects of a deluge. Birds spread their wings and dance along the branches, tadpoles appear in the streams because of the rain, frogs buried deep find their way to the surface.The rain stops but the earth smells sweet and pungent. And the water still cascades over the rock. The rain brings Uluru and Kata Tjuta bursting into life. Flowers appear, bush tucker plants arrive, and the plants and flowers around the base of the rock frame this magnificent rock.

Readers will love seeing the different seasons of the creek, its different colours, the life that lives around it, and all this is enhanced when the rain comes over its edges, forming waterfalls over its cliffs, bringing life to the desert, if only for a short while. This celebration of Uluru and Kata Tjuta is wonderful, showing the majesty of the rock as it sits in its landscape, weathered by time, water and the sun, but coming to life when the rain falls. One of Australia’s most outstanding of images, water cascading over the rock faces of this magnificent force of nature will grab the hearts of all readers.

Anangu words are used in the text supported by a glossary at the end of the book. Some of the words (eg Uluru) are well known while others may be new, but an opportunity exists to acquaint readers with old names for things in the outback, rather than the new, and with a pronunciation guide, some language may be learnt.

Themes: Uluru, Rain, Seasons, Desert, Anangu.

Fran Knight